Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

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              <s>
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              made it a perfect Marſh, like
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              Arabia,
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              which
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              by means of a Number of Lakes and Bogs oc­
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              caſioned by the River
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              Euphrates,
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              was not to
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              be approached by an Enemy. </s>
              <s>Thus by ſuch
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              Fortifications they both ſecured their own
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              Country againſt the Attacks of an Enemy, and
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              at the ſame Time made their Enemy's Coun­
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              try weaker and more defenceleſs. </s>
              <s>What are
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              the Cauſes which make the Air unhealthy, we
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              have already ſhewn ſufficiently at Length in
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              the proper Place. </s>
              <s>We may only obſerve here
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              in general, that for the moſt Part thoſe Cauſes
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              are either the too great Power of the Sun, or
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              too much Shade; ſome infectious Winds from
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              neighbouring Parts, or peſtilent Vapours from
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              the Soil itſelf, or elſe ſomething in the very
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              Climate itſelf that is noxious. </s>
              <s>To mend the
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              Air when it is unhealthy or corrupted, is a
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              Work ſcarce thought poſſible to be done by any
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              human Contrivance; unleſs by appeaſing the
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              Wrath of Heaven by Prayers and Supplications,
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              which, like the Nail driven by the Conſul, have
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              ſometimes, as we read, put a Stop to the moſt
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              deſtructive Contagions. </s>
              <s>Againſt the Inconve­
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              niencies of the Sun or Wind to the Inhabitants
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              of ſome little Town or Villa, perhaps ſome
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              Remedy may be found: But to alter the Cli­
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              mate of a whole Region or Province, is a Task
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              too great; not that I deny the Poſſibility of
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              amending a great many of thoſe Defects which
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              proceed from the Air, by curing the Earth of
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              exhaling noxious Vapours. </s>
              <s>In order to ſhew
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              how this may be done, it is not neceſſary that
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              I ſhould here ſpend Time in debating whether
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              it is by means of the Power of the Sun, or by
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              ſome natural inward Heat, that the Earth emits
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              thoſe two Vapours, of which one mounting up
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              into the Air is condenſed by the Cold, into
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              Rain and Snow; and the other, which is a dry
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              Vapour, is ſuppoſed to be the Cauſe of Winds:
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              It is enough that we are aſſured, that both theſe
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              ariſe out of the Earth; and as we find that
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              thoſe Steams which proceed from the Bodies
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              of Animals, partake of the Nature of the Bodies
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              from which they ariſe, peſtiferous from peſti­
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              lentious Bodies, and ſweet from wholeſome and
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              cleanly ones, and that ſometimes where the
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              Sweat or Vapour is not bad in itſelf, it is ren­
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              dered offenſive by the Naſtineſs of the Gar­
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              ment through which it paſſes; ſo it is with the
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              Earth: For when the Ground is neither well
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              covered with Water, nor perfectly dry, but lies
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              like a Marſh or Bog, it muſt for ſeveral Rea­
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              ſons emit noxious and unwholeſome Vapours.
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              </s>
              <s>Thus we find, that where the Sea is deep, the
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              Water is cold, and warm where it is ſhallow;
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              the Reaſon of which, we are told, is becauſe
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              the Rays of the Sun cannot ſtrike to the Bot­
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              tom of a deep Water: As if you plunge a red­
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              hot Iron into Oil, if the Oil be but a ſmall
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              Quantity, it will raiſe a ſtrong thick Smoke,
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              but if there is Oil enough to cover it quite over,
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              it will preſently quench the Iron, and make
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              no Smoke at all. </s>
              <s>But to proceed briefly with
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              the Subject which we have begun to take
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              in Hand.
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              Servius
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              tells us, that a Marſh near
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              a certain Town being almoſt dried up, and a
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              Plague ſucceeding, the Inhabitants went for
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              Counſel to
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              Apollo,
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              who commanded them to
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              dry it up entirely. </s>
              <s>Near
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              Tempe,
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              there was a
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              large ſtanding Lake, which
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              Hercules
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              made dry
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              Ground, by cutting a Trench to let out the
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              Water, and he is ſaid to have burnt the Ser­
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              pent
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              Hydra
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              in a Place from whence frequent
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              Eruptions of Water uſed to ravage the neigh­
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              bouring City; by which means the ſuperfluous
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              Moiſture being conſumed, and the Soil render­
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              ed firm and dry, thoſe over-abounding Chan­
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              nels of Water were entirely ſtopt. </s>
              <s>In ancient
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              Times the
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              Nile
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              having once ſwelled higher
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              than uſual, when the Waters went off, beſides
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              the Mud, they left a great Number of different
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              Animals, which as the Ground became dry,
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              rotted and infected the Air with a dreadful
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              Plague.
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              Strabo
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              ſays, that the City
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              Mazaca,
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              near the Hill
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              Argæus,
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              abounds in good Wa­
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              ter; but if in Summer it has not a Way made
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              for it to run off, it renders the Air unwhole­
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              ſome and infectious. </s>
              <s>Moreover, towards the
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              northern Parts of
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              Africa,
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              and alſo in
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              Æthiopia,
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              it never Rains; ſo that the Lakes are often
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              dried up, and left like Bogs of Mud, abounding
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              with infinite Numbers of Animals that breed
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              by Corruption, and particularly with great
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              Swarms of Locuſts. </s>
              <s>Againſt theſe Inconveni­
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              encies, both the Remedies uſed by
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              Hercules
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              are
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              very proper, namely, cutting a Trench that the
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              Water may not ſtagnate and make a Bog, and
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              then laying the Ground open to the Sun,
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              which I take to be the Fire uſed by
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              Hercules
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              for burning the
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              Hydra.
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              </s>
              <s> It may alſo be of Ser­
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              vice to fill up the Place with Stones, Earth or
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              Sand: And in what Manner you may fill up a
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              ſtanding Water with River-ſand, we ſhall ſhew
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              in the proper Place.
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              Strabo
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              ſays, that in his
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              Time the Country about the City of
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              Ravenna,
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              being continually overflowed by the Sea, uſed
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              to be incommoded with noiſome Vapours,
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              which yet did not make the Air unwholeſome,
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              and it ſeems ſtrange how this ſhould happen, </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
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